Jacqueline Coleman
Jacqueline Coleman
Director Corporate Recruiting, SelectQuote
Jacqueline Coleman didn’t set out to build a career in recruiting — she followed instinct, and it led her exactly where she was meant to be.
Her entry into recruitment came by chance. While interviewing with a startup staffing firm, the original plan was to place her into a sales role. But as conversations unfolded, both sides began to recognize something else.
“Have you thought about recruiting?” they asked.
Coleman took a step back, reflected, and learned more about the profession. The more she explored it, the more it aligned with what she wanted from a career — pace, impact, relationship-building, and strategy. She trusted her instinct and made the leap.
“I learned to love it immediately,” she says. “I was successful quickly and developed a real passion for recruiting early on.”
That passion has never left.
Building a Career in Staffing and Leadership
Coleman began her career in agency staffing, where she quickly distinguished herself as both a high-performing producer and a future leader. Her longest and most formative chapter came at Kforce, where she spent 11 years growing from individual contributor into leadership.
A pivotal influence during that time was her longtime mentor and leader, Chris Volker. He identified Coleman’s leadership potential early and invested deeply in her development — teaching her how to understand business fundamentals, market dynamics, and the economic forces that shape recruiting.
“He pushed me into leadership in ways I didn’t think I was capable of at the time,” she says.
Beyond direct mentorship, Coleman benefited from exposure to senior operational leaders who provided access, trust, and visibility into how the business actually ran. That access, she believes, was foundational to her success.
“Knowledge is power,” she explains. “Understanding how the business works gives you the ability to navigate, grow, and lead effectively.”
She also credits thought leaders in the recruiting and sourcing space — including voices she didn’t directly report to — for shaping how she thinks about innovation and the future of talent.
Leading Lean, High-Impact Teams
Today, Coleman leads a lean but highly effective recruiting organization, overseeing multiple distinct functions with very different demands.
Her team supports:
Corporate recruiting
Emerging talent programs (internships and rotational programs)
Pharmacy operations recruiting, including pharmacists, pharmacy techs, and logistics roles
Recruitment operations and systems
Despite a small team of roughly six recruiters, the scale is significant. In one function alone, two recruiters hired nearly 900 pharmacy employees in a single year.
“That only works if you have elite recruiters,” Coleman says.
Her focus has been building teams that can think strategically, handle high volume, and avoid becoming transactional — recruiters who understand both the human and operational sides of the work.
Recruiting in an AI-Driven Landscape
Coleman sees AI and new technology as both an opportunity and a challenge.
On one hand, automation and AI have enabled efficiency and scale, allowing lean teams to operate at levels that would have been impossible just a few years ago. On the other hand, new complexities have emerged — particularly around identity verification, assessment accuracy, and inclusivity.
“These are real challenges right now,” she says. “And they require thoughtful navigation.”
For Coleman, the answer isn’t choosing between technology and people — it’s blending them intentionally.
“There has to be a human element,” she explains. “AI should enable the work, not replace the connection.”
She believes her long-term success in recruiting has been rooted in that balance — staying on the forefront of technology while never losing sight of the human relationships at the core of the profession.
Leading Through Business Understanding
As organizations head deeper into 2026, Coleman’s advice to talent leaders is clear: understand the business — deeply.
“To be a strategic recruitment leader, you have to know the operation,” she says. “The why behind it. The challenges. The direction.”
Recruiters, she believes, are the front door of the organization. If they can’t articulate the company’s mission, growth path, or macro context, misalignment is inevitable.
“You can’t recruit effectively if you don’t understand the business you’re supporting,” she says.
That philosophy shapes how she leads today — providing her teams with access, transparency, and context so they can act as true advisors, not just order-takers.
Advice for Talent Leaders in 2026
Looking ahead, Coleman believes the differentiator for talent leaders will be strategic depth paired with human connection.
Recruiters must understand the business, embrace technology thoughtfully, and remain grounded in the relationships that make recruiting work in the first place.
“If you don’t understand the business,” she says, “there will always be a miss.”
For Coleman, recruiting has never been just about filling roles. It’s about trust, access, and alignment — building teams that can scale while staying human, and leading with clarity in a rapidly changing landscape.
